I have just purchased a property offered by Coldwell Banker. To say the agent was unethical is an understatement.

He was deceptive in his property disclosures. Nor did he have control of his sellers on order that truthful disclosure be made.

Further, this Coldwell Banker home protection plan is a sham. When you want to sign up, your telephone hold time is 1 minute or less.

However, when you call the "800" number for a claim the hold time is 10 to 20 minutes. At 20 minutes you are automatically disconnected.

Further, when you get your claim number and the contractor arrives at your house, then he must call the "800" number and wait on hold for 10 to 20 minutes to get an approval.

These people have no concept of the word and deed of "service".

I will be buying another property in this area next year. I assure you even if it is the deal of a life time but represented by Coldwell Banker I will run as far and as fast from it as I can!

I pray some one sends me the presidents name and corperate address of this poor excuse for a real estate company.

Elliot Justin

Evergreen, Colo.

-- Elliot Justin (ejustin@mindspring.com), October 29, 1999

Answers

I agree with you that this company doesnt have a clue when it comes to coustomer service and that comes from someone who was unfortunate enough to have them represent him as theirlisting agency.....I will never ever list a property with Coldwell Banker Realty again. The only thing you can bank on is that Coldwell Banker Realty Group is banking on you being stupid enough to either be the buyer or the seller. They as a group do not care about people, only money!!!!

-- michael carter (mcmodelaman@aol.com), April 09, 2000.

I agree it is all about money.... particulary when it comes to the NJ, Westchester and CT region..... they only look at the almighty buck... and once they've forced it out of you they wash their hands. This particularly true of management from the regional level to the office level. I will never list or buy a property from CB.... no matter how much I want the place!

-- Jeb Norris (phantomct_2000@yahoo.com), April 20, 2000.

WE have just bought and sold a house with a "Agent " at Cauldwell- Banker Advantage - In indianapolis. THe woman is a space cadet who has no sense of what customer service is. She forgot things like what our phone conversation was regaurding offers and constantly gripped about her problems,how tired she was from her long drive and her large phone bills at home-She basically hooked up with the seller of the house we bought as she told us that he was great and suddenly knew all about his buisness and kept saying how she is going to do the same- MORE THAN I NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT HER AFFAIRS AND HIS. Any complaint or repair that was needed the woman just kept saying "that's strange - But gary's such a nice man" and never did a thing about it. Then said - well it's too late. She also tried to push us into signing with a buyer and lied about the offer expiration by about10 hours. - I will never uses them and I will let anyone I know how bad we were treated.

-- Diana Klinke (dgypsy1@hotmail.com), May 22, 2000.

Boy talk about getting ripped off by CB we sold a house rented a house from CB while there recomended builder Ron Staggs SUNWEST HOMES in Owasso Oklahoma built our new home. While he was building I fired his drywall crew because of there shaby work he brought them back and continued to mess our house up even more. He won't come back and fix anything doors won't close cracks are everywhere in the walls.His subcontactors damaged our windows and doors.ColdwellBanker agent Rhonda Agusto calls me an "A" word and says we want a perfect house and isn't only an agent she is the manager for the office.Needless to say I am a very dissatisfied customer.

-- David Schultz (Davedanuta@juno.com), February 20, 2001.

At least you now know where the COLD in Coldwall banker comes from. I will NEVER use CB again.. we bought a home from an agent Jennifer Browning in Colorado Springs...I don't care how much I may love a house if it has CB I won't step foot in the house. Will be going into littigation soon. CB agent OUTRIGHT LIED to us! CB you are going to Hell on the hell express. I PUT A HEX ON YOU!

-- Andrea Morton (searcher75@hotmail.com), March 15, 2001.

I too have fallen a victim of the Coldwell banker Realators. I was renting out a house that got trashed because the agent did not keep up with the property, they only cashed my check. I had to pay almost $1000 to get the place in shape to rent again after the renter left and the agent ( Mary Ward) never checked up on them. They put up a pool in my back yard without permission and when leaving offered it as payment towards getting their security deposit back. Not only were we furious that they put up a pool and our agent did not know of it, but she told them in advance that we would not be giving them their security deposit back. Now I ask you, who in their right mind would clean a rental place knowing that they would not get their deposit back. I had an inground sprinkler system that was ruined and I had to pay to get it repaired ( I was out of the country). When we got back to the house and I moved back in I found the sprinkler system was temp repaired by Mickey Mouse. When I called Coldwell banker to complain I got only the run around and now knowbody from there will call me back. I urge all readers to think twice before using this agency and if anyone gets an address of someone who cares at Coldwell Banker, I would much appreciate it. THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN ANYTHING OR ANYONE BUT THE CHECK!!!!!

-- Mike Biseinere (bizygolfn@yahoo.com), June 22, 2001.

My family and I were really hurt by ColdwellBanker/West Realty Inc. and not by just a sales agent but the owner of the branch, Don West in Columbus, MS. He had shown us a house that was coming out of foreclosure and knew how well we liked the house and let us know we were first in line for the home and he wasn't even going to list on the MLS system and also, repairs were still in the process from damage by the previous owner. We were in the process of arranging financing as I had indicated to Mr. West. In the mean time someone else came along and bought the house. The very very least Mr. West could have done was let us know that someone else was now also interested in the home and asked us if we were ready to purchase. Not even a call. We found out from someone else. He obviously knows he put the screws to us because he wouldnt return our calls or take our calls, especially when he found out it was my wife calling, hope the secretary relayed the message that when he lost his chicken feathers to call. If the Owner will treat customers this way Im sure it must acceptable for the entire sales staff to act in the same way. Unfortunately, we live in a small community and they're the largest realtor in town so they will make there money regardless of what small families are walked on along the way.

-- Randy Oswalt (oswalts@bellsouth.com), July 16, 2001.

I agree about CB. I was in the process of buying a house in Toulumne, California, but it had little probs like wiring, termites, structural, and septic... My realtor was Sugar Pine, another "watch out for" kind of realtor (how do I start these posts?). The seller's realtor was CB. They did not want to give me my $1000 deposit back. Said I should pay for their septic repairs. And the CB realtor supported this. I had to take them to small claims to get money back. The CB realtor was a real scum bag, as were the sellers and my r

-- Marie Long (LVMarieLV@aol.com), April 05, 2002.

I know what you are going through. I closed on a 2 flat in Chicago on Oct. 28, 1999. I also recieved a letter from the building inspectors stating that there were 25 building code violations totaling $12,500.00 in fines. The CITY wanted me to pay them even though they were issued to the previous owner on August 4,1999.I feel that the realtor(THERESA SCARDINA) did not do her job for the money she was paid. I wish CEO kerry baker would get what he deserves also.

-- William Figueroa Sr. (will2will@ameritech.net), April 25, 2002.

Oh yes. I have one too. An agent in Durango, Colorado (Norma Engman- I can mention her name in this matter because I refused to sign off on a confidentiality agreement when they finally settled with me.)

Anyway- when I bought vacant land from her and CB in 1995, she showed me the wrong property lines (on two separate occasions) and I thought I had a flat building spot on the lot. When I started to build, my builder turned an angle and saw that I had begun escavating on my neighbor's property, and that my only building site was on a steep slope. I called her up to the lot and she AGAIN showed my the wrong lot line, saying my builder was wrong. After paying for a surveyor, I called her up and asked her what she intended to do about her mistake. Denied ever showing me the lot lines- even though it had occured about two weeks earlier. So, I had to threaten to take them to court. They probably would have fought it all the way if this "competent" realtor had taken photos of my neightbor's property and listed it in the MLS listings as my lot. DUMB. But, almost a year later, I did get a settlement, and it was barely enough to cover the repair to my neighbor's lot and the increased cost of excavation of my "new" lot. I tell everyone I know that is investing in real estate to avoid CB like the Plague.

Josh

-- Josh Parker (joshbparker@yahoo.com), June 05, 2002.

I experienced CB as a renter. The owner of the townhouse I had rented for 3 yrs lost his job and they had to sell the townhouse. This realtor was so pushy and rude to me...as was the landlady. The realtor reassured me that the lockbox on the door had a timer set on it so noone could come in after a certain time. I was getting out of the shower and luckily I had put on a nightgown. As I came out of the bathroom the doorbell was ringing. Before I could get down the stairs here comes a realtor in the door with a client...this was at 8:30 at night. I explained that he needed to come at a certain time only. He tried to push his way in anyway. I threw him out. So much for the timer! Then this evil realtor stated that the house needed to be made "bright and airy" and she wanted my teenage son to change his sheets from black to white. I told her to go to hell. Just this week this realtor left me a vm msg stating that there would be a home inspector coming on the 4th of July...its the only day he could come and I know you will be compliant she says. I open the door at the designated time to find not only the inspector but the soon to be new owners and a partner from the realty office. I wasnt told this or that it would take over 2 hrs to do. I have 3 more weeks to go until I can move out and I have never been treated so badily since my divorce! Someone needs to investigate these "people" if that's what you want to call them!

-- Nancy Flood (drew4152@yahoo.com), July 05, 2002.

Oh and to add to my horrow story of renting while CB sold the house I was living in--- this Coldwell Banker office is in Annandale, Va and the realtor is K. Graff.

-- Nancy Flood (drew4152@yahoo.com), July 05, 2002.

My heart goes out to each and everyone of you. My partner and I have the realtor from hell. She wouldn't care if she sold us the house out of the movie" The Money Pit." A couple of days ago we went through a house for a second look. I decided to take my brother along, he is a well known brick layer. My brother notices the roof on the house is bowing and some shingles are coming off the roof. He continues to tell us this happen because there is not enough ventelation in the attic. Our realtor kept cutting him off and telling us, "oh its nothing major, moisture just got under the shingles." Needless to say we don't want the house and we don't want her to represent us. A dog taking a crap would be more professional than this woman. Now we are not sure what to do, we signed with this idiot. Lesson learned.

Did I mention we live in Rochester Minnesota. Our realtor is from CB

Lela

-- lela tweed (jola25@mcleodusa.net), September 08, 2002.

Thank you for your information. I count on people like yourself to help me along the way. I will heed your warning and steer away from Coldwell Banker. You have saved One family! It was worth your while. I am too old with too many family members to be taken for a ride!

-- Sue Parks (RParks1310@aol.com), September 22, 2002.

I am an agent for Coldwell banker sarazen realty in Ottawa, Canada.I assure you that some, if not most of us care.Referrals are a big part of my business.A buyer contract belongs to the broker and you can request another agent, if you do not believe you are being well represented by the person you have. thanks Robert Faris Coldwell Banker Sarazen Realty

-- Robert Faris (faris1944@yahoo.co.uk), December 30, 2002.

There really hasn't been any marketing to buyer and sellers yet, but this service may really help some of you avoid these kinds of things in the future. It's a program that requires RE agents to commit to a process, put it in writing and guarantee it for each and every customer... and at the end you receive a survey from an independent research company. If agents receive poor survey responses they are stripped of their QSC status.

When you visit the Agent finder website (www.QualityService.org) you can find an agent committed to providing quality service and compare their Customer Satisfaction Ratings (like an e-bay rating). Then you can check 'em out and decide who you want to work with. There are many referral services out there, but this is the only one that focuses on satisfying customers (most require an RE lic., a pulse and per client payment- no real screening or qualifications needed). Quality Service Certified(R) RE professionals take a class, pay a nominal annual fee and must live to a higher standard.

There are good agents out there, but how do you know which are going to keep promises and look out for your interests and which are not until you've dealt with them? Past customer experience is the best indicator.

I hope this can help some of you avoid such problems in the future!

-- Kevin Romito (Kevin@QualityCertified.org), January 08, 2003.

Thank you to all who have contributed to this; you made my decision easy. I will not be using them to manage and/or sell my properties.

-- Christina (ccsa38@hotmail.com), June 09, 2003.

حق چار يار – خلافة الراشده – روزنامه اسلام – الجنة لاهل السنة

-- Your Full Name (Your Email Address@greenspun.com), July 06, 2003.

I thank you all so very much for putting out your problems with Coldwell Banker. I am a single mom and I am looking for my first home. I was concidering one of there homes but after reading all of the things that everyone has gone through, NO I DON'T THINK SO!!!!! Once again, I thank everyone so much for saving my from a HUGE mistake. You did just save one family from embarrassment.

-- Kim Dorsey (kimmdorsey@comcast.net), July 17, 2003.

Once again this proves that the company doesn't make the differance, the agent does. I have been in this business for 20 yrs and had only one complaint and dozens of referals. I live on referals. Check with previous clients of the agent - don't rely on written testimonials.

As in any industry the are the great, average and the bad and the crooked. If you have a problem with an agent, report it to DRE. House buying should be one of the most wonderful experiences of our life. Good hunting.

-- Bob Quinn (bobquinn_re@hotmail.com), July 30, 2003.

Hey folks, it's not just CB agents. It's across the board - there are incompetent agents as well as bad drivers, bad doctors AND bad home buyers EVERYWHERE. In your messages you all have admitted that you "trusted" the agents but did not verify or prepare any sort of due diligence. Dont get burned on a company, whether its' Coldwell Banker or whoever - your cause of action is with the PERSON. What did they use to say in The Cold War? - TRUST, BUT VERIFY!!! If you don't, your part of the problem.

-- wally spe (w2spe@aol.com), August 19, 2003.

What horror stories!! I sure that no matter what state you live in there is a "Real Estate Commission" that goverens and licenses salespeople and brokers. I would encourage each and every one of you to file a complaint with their's state commission. Negligence, incompetecy, fraud, dishonesty or misconduct can result in crimminal and civil action. The very least the broker and/or salesperson can lost their license. Also file a complaint the attorney general's office. I can assure you that in NC agents walk a very fine line, and the commission will not hesitate for a second in suppend or revoke an agent's license. GOOD LUCK!!!

John

-- John Levtzow (echo52@earthlink.net), November 05, 2003.

Here in Santa Cruz Mountains, California for us, there was just 1 agent that was unethical at CB Now we have an agent that is great!!

Century21 has more than 1 unethical agent engaging in this "Ebay-like" bidding with hearsy "other" bid to get the bid up. Hearsay seems to start at $30K more than asking price. Guess $1M more than asking would be too obviously greedy.

an American Dream agent told us about a property when she thought she could get full 6% - But then when our agent approach her for the info on the property - she clammed up and denied the availability of the listing. Aren't RE agents supposed to sell property to ALL prospective buyers?

-- Mary Amara (mamara@yahoo.com), February 08, 2005.